


Light in the Dark

by tessav



Series: Light in the Dark [2]
Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, It's all chaotic, Nico and Alex are Pals, Nico's POV, Post Season 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 02:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13377948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tessav/pseuds/tessav
Summary: They are out of breath, their hearts are racing, and they’re the most wanted criminals in L.A. at the moment.After they hear that their parents have placed them as persons-of-interest in the Destiny case, they run. But they're not sure what to do after that.Unoffical follow-up to radiant warmth, but you can read this one without reading the other. Takes place right where season 1 ends.





	Light in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> yea so as i said this kind of follows my other work, radiant warmth, but it also can exist entirely on its own. i hope you enjoy!

The first thing they do after they see the news broadcast is run.

The six of them (seven, if you count Old Lace) run through the back streets of L.A., not caring who sees them. It’s stupid, and risky, and if they had been thinking they would have split up and decided on somewhere to meet up later, but they aren’t thinking.

But the odds are in their favor for once and they don’t get caught, and they trace their steps backwards from earlier until they find the Gibborim van they had left hidden in an alley. They know that they won’t be able to use the van for long—someone at the church will notice that it’s missing, if they haven’t already, and they’ll report it to the police. But for now, when they just need to get out of the city, it will work.

Alex jumps in the driver’s seat. None of them have much experience driving a van, but he managed to drive it when they rescued Karolina, so he’s taking it again. Gert opens up the back doors of the van and herds Old Lace inside before following. Chase jumps into the passenger seat, ready to help Alex with directions for wherever they’re going. Nico, Karolina, and Molly all get in through the sliding side door.

Alex shouts at them to buckle their seatbelts—there are no seatbelts in the back of the van but nobody mentions it—and they’re off.

They are out of breath, their hearts are racing, and they’re the most wanted criminals in L.A. at the moment.

Nico’s sitting with her back against the side of the van and Karolina scoots over to her and lays her head on Nico’s shoulder. Nico can hear that Karolina’s breathing is even more ragged than her own and she is forced to remember that Karolina’s still injured. Her fight with Jonah—details of which were still unknown to the others—had taken a lot out of her, and it’s clearly still affecting her.

“Do we have any water in here?” Nico asks.

Gert, who is sitting in the very back, gently caressing her dinosaur’s head, grabs a plastic water bottle out of her backpack and rolls it to Nico. “I’m usually against one-use water bottles like this, but I’ll admit, it’s pretty handy right now,” she says.

Nico unscrews the cap and hands it to Karolina, who smiles gratefully at her and takes a lot sip of water.

“What’s the plan, guys?” Alex asks from the front seat.

“I thought you were usually the man with the plan, Wilder,” Chase says. Alex shoots him a look that clearly says that it’s not the time.

“We can’t go back into the hills yet,” says Nico. “They’ll be sending search parties out. I say we find some sketchy parking lot and camp out in the van for a while, or rent out a motel room with cash and stay there. Maybe use our credit cards and withdraw some money, because I’m sure out parents are going to be cancelling those soon. But we’d have to be careful about that, because they could try to track us.

Chase turns from his seat in the front and looks at Nico, impressed. “You’ve clearly thought this through,” he says.

Nico shifts slightly. “This isn’t the first time I’ve planned on running away,” she says. She sees Karolina reach her hand over to Nico’s, grabbing hold and interlocking their fingers. She knows that it’s Karolina’s way of showing support and comfort, and she is once again thankful that they were able to rescue Karolina.

“That sounds good, though,” Gert says. “Any objections?” Nobody objects. None of them know what they’re doing, and they’re all happy to have any semblance of a plan.

The next few hours are spent driving in circles around the neighborhoods of L.A., stopping every twenty minutes or so while one of them walks to an ATM and withdraws as much money as they can. They make sure to park the van a few blocks away in an alley without security cameras. It’s risky but Alex only received so much from Darias and they don’t know how long they’ll be out on the streets.

On the streets… Nico repeats it to herself in her head but it doesn’t make sense. When things had gotten really bad between her and her parents, she had come up with a plan to run away, but that had been different. In that scenario, she was only hiding herself, not five others and their pet dinosaur. And she had given herself weeks to stock up on food and money, both of which were in limited supply for them.

When the sun began to set, Alex took a detour to Walmart. “Gotta get something to eat,” he says in explanation when Chase looks at him questioningly. He parks the car and turns in his seat to look at the rest of the group. “Okay, here’s the game plan. Gert, you’re looking for things for Old Lace. Buy in bulk, because I’ve got a feeling that she’s gonna be hungry. Chase and Molly, you guys get some food. Peanut butter and jelly and bread, soup cans, instant noodles—anything that we can make with limited supplies. Try to get enough for a few days. I’m gonna be looking for camping supplies. Tents and sleeping bags and a camp stove. That stuff. Karolina and Nico, clothing. We got a few things at that secondhand store, but if you can grab some warm jackets and some generic t-shirts and jeans that’s probably the best. Stuff that won’t make us stand out.”

Nico scoffs. “I know you’re talking about me,” she says.

Alex awkwardly coughs. “Well, I mean, we sent you guys to look for disguises, and you came back with an outfit that you would wear on any given day. Not the best for slipping away unnoticed.”

“I think you look great,” Karolina says quietly. Nico chooses to ignore Alex and she smiles at the blonde girl.

 

Their shopping goes well. Nico knows that she and Karolina have the easiest job, but she doesn’t complain. And as much as it frustrates her to admit it, Alex did have a point. They needed practical clothing. Nico and Karolina walk through the clothing aisles and grab the shirts that look the most comfortable, the pants that look the most durable. Sturdy hiking shoes and socks for all of them. Sweatpants and t-shirts so they can have something to change into at night. Before they go to check out, Karolina grabs Nico’s arm. “Wait,” she says. “There’s four girls in our group.” Nico nods, understanding. They stop quickly in the toiletries section and grab a few packs of pads and tampons before going back to the check-out aisle.

She and Karolina are the first ones back at the van. Nico ducks down and grabs the keys that Alex had stashed under the tire and unlocked the sliding door and the girls climb inside. Nico sits against the far wall and sees Karolina looking unsure. “You can come sit here too,” she invites.

“Okay, I will,” Karolina says, her cheeks reddening. Nico has to admit, she thinks it’s really cute and endearing how often Karolina blushes around her.

Karolina moves to sit next to Nico. She doesn’t lean her head against Nico this time, instead, she folded her legs and sat with her hands in her lap, looking down.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Nico asks.

The blonde shrugs. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s okay if you just kissed me back in the moment and you don’t actually like me like that. That’s okay.”

Nico laughs and grabs Karolina’s hand. “I mean, yeah you caught me by surprise there, but I was the one who kissed you yesterday. I really like you, Karolina.”

Karolina looks over at her with some combination of surprise and joy in her eyes. “Really?” she asks hopefully.

“Really,” Nico responds with a smile, knocking Karolina gently with her shoulder. She takes a breath before continuing, this time more serious. “I was really worried about you when you were gone. We had no idea if you were okay, or if you were even alive. We were terrified. I was terrified.”

“I wasn’t afraid,” Karolina says. Nico looks at her, confused. “I mean, I wasn’t afraid of dying. I would willingly trade my life for the five of you. I was just worried that they would find you, and it would all be up.”

Nico leans into Karolina, burrowing her head into the taller girl’s neck. “Please no more self-sacrificing,” she requests. “I don’t think I could handle actually losing you.”

Karolina wraps her arms around Nico and holds her close. Nico can feel the warmth she’s become accustomed to radiating off of Karolina and it makes Nico feel at home. “I’ll do my best,” Karolina says.

 

The rest of their group shows up within the next few minutes. “I was thinking,” Chase says once they’ve all returned. “Maybe we should rent out a motel room tonight. It’s been a stressful few days, and we could all use a shower.” Molly lets out a small laugh. “Not because we smell bad!” Chase quickly corrects. “But just because it’s relaxing…”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Nico says, backing him up. And so it’s decided. They drive for another forty-five minutes around the outskirts of the city—in case someone recognized them in Walmart, either in person or on the security cameras—before stopping at a rundown motel not too far from the freeway. Chase gets out and walks over to the lobby to rent out the room while Alex parks the van across the street.

“We’ve gotta ditch this thing,” he says to the gang while they wait for Chase. “Once the Church of Gibborim realizes they’re missing a van, we’re done for. And we have no idea how long that’s going to take.”

“If it makes you feel better,” Karolina says, “they’ve got a _lot_ of vans. Shuttling for church events, youth trips, carrying furniture; and there are always four or five driving around in the poorer areas for the city, looking for kids who need help.”

Alex nods. “That actually is a little better. Maybe they won’t notice for a few days. I don’t like it but we’re stuck with it for now.”

A knock on the side door indicates that Chase is back. Molly reaches up and slides the door open.

“I got us a room!” Chase says. “Well, two rooms, but whatever. We have somewhere to sleep that’s not the van!”

They start grabbing their things and getting out of the van. Nico gets out first and stands by the door, helping the others get out. “What are we doing with Old Lace?” Gert asks.

“We should probably wait until it gets dark, and then maybe bring her into our room?” Nico suggests, helping Karolina down. Karolina winces as her feet hit the sidewalk and Nico narrows her eyes. “What’s up, are you hurt?” Nico asks.

Karolina shakes her head. “No, I’m okay; I’m all good,” she dismisses, and she grabs her bag and starts walking with Gert towards the motel. Nico makes eye contact with Chase, who saw the exchange. He frowns and shrugs. Nico sighs, grabs the last of her things, and follows the group to the motel.

Chase had rented out two rooms, 108 and 109. 108 had two queen-sized beds while 109 had one. “I figured we could save some money and share beds,” Chase says as they enter the rooms. “And see that door on the side wall there? It connects to the other room, so if we keep it open, it’s like we have one big room. It’s probably best that we don’t go in and out too much, because I’m sure there’s security cameras around.

“Good call,” Alex says as he walks past Chase and into the rooms.

“Why don’t we take some time to shower and make some food, and then we can regroup and figure out what we’re going to do?” Nico says.

“I wanna help cook!” Molly says.

Chase smiles at the younger girl. “And I’ll supervise that. No point in burning the motel down, right?”

“I wouldn’t burn the motel down,” Molly protests, but the two grab the bags of food and walk over to the mini kitchen.

“I’m gonna go shower real quick,” Alex says, heading to the door that connects their two rooms.

Gert nods. “Yeah, I’ll take this shower first, if that’s okay.” She disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Karolina and Nico alone in the entryway. Karolina walks over to the closest bed and sits down. Nico closes the door and follows her.

“I know you said you were okay, but are you still hurt from what happened with Jonah?” Nico asks softly.

Karolina grabs Nico’s hand. “I really am mostly better,” she said. “If I’m honest, I still don’t really remember what happened in the fight. You guys left, and then Jonah and I shot those, like, light beams at each other, and then there was an explosion… and then I woke up in my mother’s private meditation room. They gave me some sort of medicine to heal me, but…” She lifts up the side of her tank top. A dark bruise, the size of a grapefruit, covers half of her ribcage.

“Holy shit, Karolina,” Nico whispers.

She pulls her shirt back down. “It’s fine, most of the time it doesn’t even hurt. And, I mean, I’m still just _really_ tired, and I feel like I could sleep for a few days, but I swear it’s nothing big. I didn’t want to worry you.”

Nico presses a soft kiss on Karolina’s cheek. “It’s alright. I’m just glad you’re okay. But please, you can talk to me.”

The taller girl smiles down at Nico. “I know,” she says. “I feel like I can tell you anything.” The two girls sit there for a few moments, just sitting and smiling at each other fondly. Then Nico reaches her hand up and puts it on Karolina’s cheek, the same spot where she had just placed a kiss. She leans over and presses her lips against Karolina’s, and she feels Karolina melt into the kiss.

Karolina plants her hands on Nico’s sides and Nico can feel her fingertips digging into her hips. Nico presses against Karolina, pushing their bodies closer. Karolina opens her mouth and nips at Nico’s lower lip, and Nico smiles into her.

“What kind of soup do you guys want?” Chase’s voice calls from the other room. “We’ve got broccoli cheddar or chicken noodle.”

Karolina pulls away from Nico and puts a hand on her lips. “Uh, broccoli cheddar works,” Nico responds. Then she turns to Karolina and laughs. “There’s really no privacy here, is there?” she says.

Karolina giggles and leans her head against Nico’s. “Hopefully at some point we’ll be able to kiss without being interrupted,” she says playfully, and Nico’s heartbeat rises. Kissing Karolina is good. It makes her feel warm inside; warm and safe. Kissing Karolina helps her forget all the shit that’s going on around them. But the idea of going farther than the fairly tame kisses they’ve had so far? Absolutely incredible.

 

Dinner is a fairly simple affair. By the time Chase and Molly have figured out how to open the cans without a can opener, heated them up, and cut up some additional vegetables, the rest of them have showered and changed into more comfortable clothes. Gert is able to smuggle Old Lace inside, and she gives the dinosaur a roasted chicken and tells her to stay in the bathroom.

“How come Old Lace gets better food than the rest of us?” Molly asks as they sit down to eat.

“Because if we don’t feed her, there’s no telling what she’ll do to try to eat,” Gert explains.

They eat quietly. Nico takes the remote that’s sitting on the bedside table and turns the TV on to a local news station. Alex looks at her questioningly and she says, “In case there’s any updates. On their search for us.” He nods and leans back, watching.

It’s depressing to watch. A reminder of what their parents did; what they’re still trying to do. The newscasters don’t spend much time talking about them, just mentioning that the Amber Alert for Molly is still going, and that if anyone has any knowledge on the whereabouts of the others or on their involvement in Destiny’s death, they should call in.

“You didn’t use your real name when you rented the rooms, right?” Karolina asks.

Chase shakes his head. “No, of course not. And I used cash. They shouldn’t be able to trace us here.”

The broadcasters switch to talking about a murder that happened a few days ago in the neighborhood that they’re currently in. Gert reaches for the remote and changes the channel.

 

Later, when Nico and Alex are cleaning up the dishes, she sighs and turns to him. “There’s something I have to tell you,” she says.

He doesn’t look up. Instead, he scrunches his forehead and Nico notices that he’s scrubbing his bowl more intensely than he had been moments before.

“Karolina… she kissed me at the dance. Before everything went to shit.”

Alex sighs. “Yeah, I figured something like that.”

“What do you mean?” Nico asks.

He doesn’t say anything for a moment. He puts the bowl he was cleaning down next to the sink and picks up another one. “Something shifted after that. When we were fighting our parents and when we had to leave Karolina. I mean, you’ve always cared about the rest of us and making sure we’re all okay, but there was a desperation to you that I… that I recognized from Amy’s death. So I knew she was especially important to you. She kissed you?”

“Yeah. When we went to look for Chase and Gert. And it wasn’t just one-sided. I kissed her back.”

“Are you two a thing now?” Alex asks, not unkindly.

“I’m not sure,” answers Nico. “We’re something. We haven’t really defined it, but I wanted you to know. I wanted you to hear it from me, not through someone else.”

Alex turns to her. He’s smiling softly and he says, “Thank you. And I’m happy for you. I’m sorry about everything that happened between us, but I won’t… push things anymore. You’re with her now. Thank you for telling me.”

She smiles back at him. “Thank you for being okay with it.”

“Of course,” he says. “You’re my best friend, Nico. I wouldn’t want anything to change that.”

“Hey, guys,” Gert’s voice pulls them out of their conversation. Nico and Alex pause their cleaning and turn around to look as Gert approaches them. “I know this is a lot to ask but is it at all possible that we can stop by my house so I can get my anxiety meds? It’s just, my anxiety’s pretty intense most of the time and all this running away and being wanted criminals isn’t helping.

Nico and Alex glance at each other. “We can probably manage it,” Nico says. “We could go at night, when her parents are sleeping. Sneak in, grab the meds, and sneak out.” Alex nods, and Nico sees Gert’s worried expression relax. “And actually, if we’re gonna be breaking into our homes, I might see if I can get my mom’s staff. That would make things… a lot easier.”

“That’s a good point,” Alex says. “Should we try to do it tonight? I know it’s late, but that’s kind of the point.”

“I’m down,” Nico says. Gert nods.

“Alright. Well, both of you should be on the mission, because it’s your houses. I should probably go as well, in case there’s any security system that we need to break into. And we might want to bring someone who can defend us, in case things go wrong,” Alex says.

“I’ll get Old Lace!” Gert says excitedly.

Nico shakes her head. “She’s too unpredictable, and it’s hard to smuggle her anywhere.”

“Karolina?” Alex suggests.

“Is still recovering from her fight. She’s not at full strength yet,” says Nico.

Gert says, “And Chase is still trying to get his fistigons and x-ray goggles to work again. I guess that means…”

“Molly,” Alex and Nico say at the same time.

 

“So let me get this straight. We’re breaking into our home to get Gert’s meds, and we’re breaking into Nico’s home to get her mom’s magic wand? Like, even though we’re wanted criminals and our parents are trying to get us arrested, we’re going home?” Molly asks.

They’re back in the Gibborim van, driving to the Yorkes’ house. Karolina and Chase have stayed back at the motel; Karolina resting and Chase working on his equipment. Nico nods. “Yup. That’s the plan.”

“Cool!” Molly says.

The streets of Brentwood are empty. It’s just past midnight, and Nico is hoping that they won’t see anyone while they’re on their mission.

Instead of parking a few blocks away like they normally do, Alex leaves the car idling in front of the house. “Gotta be ready for a quick getaway,” he explains.

“Those emissions are killing the environment,” Gert tells him.

“Our parents are killing the planet, so I think twenty minutes of running a van isn’t the worst we could be doing,” he counters.

Gert nods. “That’s fair,” she says.

The four of them get out of the van and walk up to the house. “Are there any back entrances we can try?” Nico asks.

Molly shakes her head. “There’s only the main front door. It’s normally unlocked.”

“God, what I would give for Chase’s x-ray goggles right now,” Gert says as they approach the door. “Here goes nothing.” She takes a deep breath and pulls on the handle. To their surprise, it swings open easily. “That was convenient,” she says.

“Molly and I will stay out here and keep watch. If anything goes wrong, just shout and we’ll be there in a sec,” Alex says. Gert nods. She and Nico creep inside, doing their best to stay quiet. Gert starts to lead them to her room, and they make it to the kitchen when suddenly she freezes.

“What is it?” Nico whispers to her. “Is everything okay?”

Gert points to the kitchen table. There’s a brown paper bag on it, with words written in sharpie that Nico can’t decipher from where she stands. “Do you see that?” she asks.

“What the hell,” Nico says.

Gert walks over to it and grabs the bag. “It has my name on it,” she says quietly. She opens the bag and pulls out a pill bottle. “My meds,” she says in surprise. “That was _really_ convenient.” She and Nico look at each other in confusion.

“We can question our parents’ motives later. I say we just get out of here as soon as possible,” Nico says. Gert nods, and the girls turn around and get outside.

“That was fast,” Alex says once they exit. They all walk swiftly back down to the van and they get inside, and Alex starts to drive off.

“It was on the kitchen table,” Gert explains. “In a bag with my name on it. They knew I was missing my meds, and they put it out for me so I could take it.”

“Damn,” Alex says.

Gert shakes her head, clearly frustrated. “It’s just, I know that they’re evil. There’s no denying that. But then they do stuff like this, and. How did this all happen? How did they find themselves going down that path? My parents aren’t mad scientists. They’re dorks. I just don’t understand it.”

Molly scoots over next to her sister and grabs her hand. She lays her head on Gert’s shoulder and Gert leans into her sister’s presence. Nico knows there’s nothing she can say or do right now to help and so she’s grateful that Gert has someone like Molly who can be there for her.

Alex turns down a road that’s familiar to Nico. She’s almost home. “Wouldn’t it be really nice if my mom just left the staff out for me?” she says.

Gert chuckles. “Somehow, I don’t think we’ll be that lucky,” she says. Nico agrees. Gert’s house had been a walk in the park. She sincerely doubted that her house would even be _unlocked_. There were some back doors they could try, and Nico knew the combinations to the entryways—that is, if her mother hadn’t changed everything.

They arrive at Nico’s house. They leave the van idling again and start approaching the house. “Let’s go to a side door,” Nico says, and veers to the right. She leads the four of them down a path through a garden and to one of the back ways into the house.

The door they arrive at is locked. There’s a keypad at the handle. “This used to be the password,” Nico says, and punches in the numbers. The blinking light beeps red and she swears. “Alex? Any suggestions?” she asks.

He leans down to look at the keypad. “I have an idea,” he says. “I have no clue what the new code might be or how we can find it, but I think I can disable the alarm system. It won’t unlock the door but it’ll prevent the alarm from going off for about five minutes before it alerts the alpha user. If I can get it to turn off,”

“Then I can break down the door,” Molly says, smiling.

Alex grins. “Exactly.”

“Let’s do it,” Nico says. She steps back and Alex flips open the keypad. He holds down one button and taps another a few times. Then he turns back to the girls.

“Got it,” he says. He backs up and Molly walks over to the door. She looks at it for a moment before putting her hands on either side and pulling. The door pops easily out of its frame and Molly tosses it into the bushes.

Nico sees that her eyes are glowing yellow. “Shit, that’s cool,” she says in awe.

“You’ve got five minutes, Nico,” Alex reminds her.

Nico nods. “Yup. Got it. I’ll be right back, guys.” She goes through the doorway and into her house.

It’s eerily quiet. Even more so than usual. “Wizey, no talking,” she orders before the AI can activate and give her position away. She walks down the empty hallways to her mother’s office, praying that the staff will be in its usual case.

She reaches the door to the office. Gently, she puts her hand against the door and pushes, and it swings open easily. The lights are off, but the moon shines in through the window and illuminates the room. Nico checks the case. “ _Yes_ ,” she whispers to herself. The staff is there. She rushes over to her mom’s desk and presses the button to open the case, wincing as she feels the prick of the needle taking her blood. She grabs the staff and starts to leave.

Nico is halfway down the hallway before she sees a light turn on in the corner of her eye. She freezes. She slowly turns around and sees her mother, standing in a doorway. “Nico,” her mom says.

“Mom,” Nico responds. She’s not sure what to do. She could try to run, but she doesn’t want to risk the other three getting caught. She could try to fight, but her mother has already proven to be able to summon the staff away from her. So she stands in place, unmoving.

Her mother looks at her. The expression she has on her face is not one that Nico recognizes. Then, after what feels like an eternity, she speaks. “Go,” she says. Nico doesn’t question it. She turns away from her mother and runs.

She gets outside and sees the rest of the group. “Let’s get out of here,” she says before they can say anything. “I’ve got the staff.”

They hurry to the van. Nico climbs into the passenger seat and her heart doesn’t stop racing until they’re a block away from her house.

“What happened?” Alex asks cautiously.

Nico shakes her head. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. I got the staff, and that’s why we came.” He looks at her like he wants to say more, but he doesn’t. She’s thankful for that.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, Gert speaks up from the back of the van. “Hey, I have an idea.” Nico turns to look at her and nods, encouraging her to continue. “Nico, I know you don’t have like, any training when it comes to the staff, but do you think you’d be able to teleport us with that thing?”

Nico bites her lip and thinks for a moment. “Ya know, I don’t see why not. I can’t promise how far it’ll take us, but it should work.”

Alex grins from the driver’s seat. “We should try that tomorrow. Get out of L.A., go somewhere where they aren’t looking for us.”

“That sounds good,” Nico says.

It takes about twenty minutes for them to get back to the motel. Alex parks the car across the street again and they walk back to their rooms. “Goodnight, guys,” Alex says with a wave as he unlocks the room he and Chase are sharing. The girls wish him goodnight and Gert uses the keycard to unlock their room.

The lights are off inside. Nico sees Karolina’s sleeping form in the bed closest to the door. “Let’s try not to wake her up,” Nico says, and Gert and Molly nod. They all get ready for bed fairly quickly and after Nico’s changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt she walks over to the bed Karolina’s in. She pulls back the blankets and slips in, doing her best not to wake the sleeping girl.

Karolina rolls over as Nico gets comfortable. They’re face to face now, and Karolina blinks open her eyes slowly. “You’re back,” she says quietly, sounding excited. “How did it go?”

Nico leans forward and presses a quick kiss against Karolina’s lips, and she hears Karolina let out a small murmur of content. “I didn’t mean to wake you up. It went well. We got the staff and Gert’s meds. We’re gonna try to teleport out of here tomorrow. You gonna be up for that?”

“Mmhmm,” Karolina says sleepily. “Hold me?” she asks, and Nico’s heart melts. Nico nods and Karolina smiles at her. Karolina rolls back over and scoots backwards so that her back is pressed against Nico’s front. Nico reaches an arm over Karolina and pulls the girl in even closer.

She doesn’t know what’s going on with her parents. She doesn’t know why her mother had let her escape, and with the staff. She doesn’t know if she will be able to teleport the group to safety tomorrow, and even if she is able to, she doesn’t know where they will go from there. Overall, it was a pretty hopeless situation, she knows that. But for now, as she holds Karolina close to her, she has to admit that she’s pretty hopeful.

**Author's Note:**

> not sure yet if I'm gonna continue this but we'll see what happens!!! lmk what you guys think will happen to them/where they should go and i'll do my best to keep writing it! 
> 
> also if ur bored come hmu at klargora.tumblr.com so we can talk about this show. peace out and i love u all


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